Does WIFI 6 satelite work with RBR50 if wired

[mcgixxer]

I see on the product page that RBS850 only works with a wifi-6 router, but what If I want to add my satellite wired? Would this WIFI6 orbi satellite still work with the mesh network if it was hooked up that way?

I need to buy another satellite and I kind of feel like spending $250 on an RBS50 when wifi 6 is out there is a waste of money.

Meanwhile, Ive only had my ORBI BRB50 and RBS50 for a year and a half, so dropping $999 on a new wifi6 router and 2 wifi6 satellites is a lot of money lost...

So I was hoping I could just add the wifi 6 satellite now, and upgrade the router and other satelite down the road. At the moment, All my orbis are hardwired. 

[Jetdrive]

Wifi 6E will be out by the end of the year so it might be a good time just to hold off on wifi 6 deployments. Wifi 6E adds an additional 6 ghz band in addition to the 2.4 and 5 ghz bands.

[CrimpOn]

@mcgixxer wrote:

I see on the product page that RBS850 only works with a wifi-6 router, but what If I want to add my satellite wired? Would this WIFI6 orbi satellite still work with the mesh network if it was hooked up that way?

---

What an amazing question.  I have seen responses that the older WiFi-5 satellites will connect to the newer AX router only using ethernet (not WiFi).  To my knowledge, this is the first time this question has come up.  There are a couple of people who watch this forum who may own both the original WiFi-5 Orbi and the new WiFi-6 AX Orbi.  Maybe one of them would find it interesting to perform an experiment.

@FURRYe38 

[FURRYe38]

Most RBS will connect to the Orbi base via eitherhet:

https://kb.netgear.com/000051205/What-is-Ethernet-backhaul-and-how-do-I-set-it-up-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-Sy...

Same goes for Orbi AX. I have mine both wire connected. RBS require a Orbi router to connect too. 

I recommend if you feel that wifi 6 isn't worth it to you and your current system is handling your needs, then stick with it. You only get the wifi AX advantage if you have and use AX supporting wifi devices. Otherwise you'r spending extra money one a feature you can't take advantage of. Same goes of wifi 6E. Its still aways out and hasn't been approved from draft and theres is no currently supporing 6E devices and would be another year or two before we even see those devices. So don't hold your breath. Still lots of testing that needs to happend before us cusumers will see anything to consider buying. 

---

@mcgixxer wrote:

I see on the product page that RBS850 only works with a wifi-6 router, but what If I want to add my satellite wired? Would this WIFI6 orbi satellite still work with the mesh network if it was hooked up that way?

I need to buy another satellite and I kind of feel like spending $250 on an RBS50 when wifi 6 is out there is a waste of money.

Meanwhile, Ive only had my ORBI BRB50 and RBS50 for a year and a half, so dropping $999 on a new wifi6 router and 2 wifi6 satellites is a lot of money lost...

So I was hoping I could just add the wifi 6 satellite now, and upgrade the router and other satelite down the road. At the moment, All my orbis are hardwired. 

---

[CrimpOn]

I think the question is about "backward compatibility".  i.e. it seems to be clear that

• WiFi5 Orbi satellites will connect to WiFi5 Orbi router over ethernet.
• WiFi6 Orbi satellites will connect to WiFi6 Orbi router over ethernet.
• WiFi5 Orbi satellites will connect to WiFi6 Orbi router over ethernet.

But what has not been established (to my knowledge) is if a WiFi6 satellite will connect to a WiFi5 router.

I do not see any reason why not, but every time I have seen similar questions it was always about buying a new WiFi6 router and still being able to connect the existing WiFi satellites to the new router.

This is the first time I have seen someone want to expand coverage by purchasing a WiFi6 satellite, but wants to connect it to an existing WiFi5 router.  I think it's "forward thinking" wanting to expand coverage with something that will be compatible with the newer technology.

I also see the quandry about "waiting for the next generation to arrive", but the need to expand coverage is today.

[FURRYe38]

From prior experiences before, wireless or wired RBS rely on getting there configurations from the RBR during the sync process, thus setting up the SSID, PW and channelization gets set from the RBR. These settings can't be configured manually with the RBS. I thought someone said a while ago in the Orbi AC forums that they tried connecting the RBS to a non Orbi router and it wouldn't work. From my experience, I had a CBK40 system online for testing and happen to put the CBR40 in to modem only mode and putting a non orbi WiFi5 router online, I happen to leave the RBS online and ethernet connected it. Using same SSID and PW as I always do, the RBS20 remained connected, however upon a reboot or it may have been a factory reset of the RBS, the RBS no longer connected and lost it's configuration and could not be reconfigured until the CBR40 was put back online as a router. 

The only RBS that doesn't seem to required a RBR for operation is the RBS50Y which if extender mode FW is installed, it can connect ot any wifi router. Even the Orbi AX. 

[Jetdrive]

Disregard this post.

[FURRYe38]

Ok I was able to take a closer look at this today. I can confirm what @CrimpOn suggested.

I set up my RBR50 in AP mode behind my Orbi AX router. Set a different SSID name on the RBR50. I powered OFF one of my RBS850s that was wire connected to the Orbi AX system. Ethernet connected the RBS850 to the back of the RBR50. Powered ON the RBS850 and waited. No factory reset was performed. I logged in to the RBR50s web page and didn't see anything at first, then the RBR50s attached devices page showed a new RBS online. I didn't have my other RBS ACs turned on or connected. Just the RBS850. I saw config sync and an IP address of the RBS850 appeared. 

I logged in to the RBS850s web page. Log in was not the same as the RBR50, it was the log in PW from my Orbi AX system, however it worked. I was able to get in to the RBS850s web page while it was ethernet connected to the RBR50 in AP mode:

The config sync took a couple of minuted then changed to GOOD for the status on the RBR50s web page:

I then removed the ethernet cable from the RBS850 to see if it would auto sync with the RBR850 wirelessly. It would not. Front led on the RBS blinked WHITE then PINK. I tried the sync button the on the RBS850 and RBR50 and the RBS would not sync at all. 

I don't know how stable or how good the operation of the RBS850 ethernet connected to the RBR50 is. I presume it would be ok to run like this if you wanted to try it out. 

---

@mcgixxer wrote:

I see on the product page that RBS850 only works with a wifi-6 router, but what If I want to add my satellite wired? Would this WIFI6 orbi satellite still work with the mesh network if it was hooked up that way?

I need to buy another satellite and I kind of feel like spending $250 on an RBS50 when wifi 6 is out there is a waste of money.

Meanwhile, Ive only had my ORBI BRB50 and RBS50 for a year and a half, so dropping $999 on a new wifi6 router and 2 wifi6 satellites is a lot of money lost...

So I was hoping I could just add the wifi 6 satellite now, and upgrade the router and other satelite down the road. At the moment, All my orbis are hardwired. 

---

---

[CrimpOn]

Thanks for the detailed explanation.  My guess is that the AX satellite "Daisy Chained" through the AP mode Orbi to the RBR850 router.

It appears to me that this could be a reasonable solution to this specific situation.  I would certainly want to purchase from someplace that has a generous return policy.  (Amazon, Costco, etc.)

[FURRYe38]

Ya, I presume if the RBR50 was in router mode the RBS850 would or should connect when wire connected to the RBR50. Seems ok and as the RBS50 work in same manor with the RBR850 when wire connected. There just not wirelessly compatible at this time.